Birthday Wishes

I had a chance to play with some new products from Spellbinders:

I cut a white panel and used a Spellbinders embossing folder to create the background, layered onto a white card base.

I then did some die-cutting – when I say ‘some’ die-cutting I really mean quite a bit. I was using the colours from the current challenge at Color Hues, and die cut the hexagons, flowers, and all the layers from white, teal, and lime green card stock. I had no idea when I began which colour I was going to use for which layer, so I played around until I found the layers that I wanted, then glued them all together.

I then played with the positioning of the hexagons until I was happy with the layout above, glued the floral images down, added some small gold gems to the flowers then thought about the sentiment.

I used a debossing sentiment – also from Spellbinders – and some of their gold card stock to match with the centre of the flowers.

I’m getting quite used to the small fiddly layering dies, and instead of dreading them I embrace them wholeheartedly….and the only thing I get just a little worried about are the colours for each layer, but with a colour challenge that is taken care of……

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts – anything goes – option of wings not taken

Color Hues – lime green and cyan

Creative Knockouts – birthday

Time Out – birthday

Everybody Art – birthday

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends – anything goes

White and Gold Christmas

A new challenge has started at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas’. Here is my card:

The three circle dies are from a kit through Scrapbook and Cards. I found out about these kits from another online card making course. The kits ship every two months, and combines a stamp set, die set, and a class with different people/companies. I believe the next one is with Gina K – but I haven’t received that yet – it takes a little more time to get to me here in the UK.

This die set was from LDRS Creative and I decided to make baubles.

I first created the dotty background with a Spellbinders stencil and gold paste. I left that to dry for 24 hours – just in case – and prepared the ‘baubles’.

I die cut the base circle from Spellbinders gold card stock, die cut the main decorative circle from white card stock, then layered. I used another die set for the bauble topper – adding with 3D foam.

Onto the slimline card base I added a gold base layer – I ‘gutted’ this layer to preserve some of that fabulous card stock – layered with the gold dotty panel, then added the baubles.

The sentiment was die cut from the same gold with a white shadow layer.

I decided to add some matt gold gems – kinda hard to stop when you get started.

I hope you can come and join us with your festive/Christmas makes. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Cut It Upanything goes with a die cut

Creative Fingers anything goes

Most Magical Time Of The Year anything goes Christmas or Halloween

Creative Knockoutscelebrations

Merry Little Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Just For You……

Hello. I have a slimline card to share with you today incorporating some new products from Spellbinders – dies and embossing folder:

Onto a black slimline card base I adhered a dry embossed panel with 3D foam – this card has a lot of dimension – this is just the beginning….

I die cut the flowers and leaves from various Spellbinder sets in black, magenta and grey, played a little with which colour for which layer, mixed and matched, then arranged them onto the card base.

The flowers were adhered with 3D foam squares, with the leaves and stems attached using glue.

The sentiment is from the Spellbinders Advent Calendar, die cut with a top layer of magenta, two layers of white, then a bottom black layer – slightly off-set.

A final touch was to add some gems – in groups of two – around the sentiment and the floral arrangement.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Color Throwdownmagenta, black, white, grey

Simon Says Stamp Wednesday Challengesomething new

Crafty Catz anything goes – option hobbies/pastimes not taken

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friendsanything goes

MMM Challengeuse something new

Beyond The Blueuse some new craft supplies

A Perfect Time To Craftanything goes

Poinsettia and Holly

Hello. I created this card using Spellbinders dies, using colours from a previous challenge – but I liked how the colours worked together so I played with them again:

Behind a die cut square aperture, I placed a dry embossed panel which had been splattered with a copper acrylic paint from Liquitex.

I then die cut the poinsettia – putting more layers with it for a fuller look, die cut some ferns from green card stock, and the holly leaves and mistletoe from gold card stock.

I played around with the arrangement a little, and glued when I was happy.

The sentiment is a previously gold foiled one from Spellbinders.

Here is a picture of the shine from the foiling and gold card stock:

I am absolutely loving the gold card stock from Spellbinders at the moment, and can’t seem to stop using it. You have to make sure that your cutting plates are quite new – you do get some marks on the card if the die cut is large and plain enough…….ask me how I know….!

As an aside – I mentioned on a previous post that the ‘Color My Life’ app – which I used to catalogue my stash – was broken for a few days. It now works, the updates have been sorted and I can see and search from this again – I was really quite shocked how dependent I was on this app. I search for things for challenges – colours, or animals, or tags I have inserted myself. It has saved me buying the same thing twice a few times, but just the ability to be able to ‘look’ through my stash for items I know I have – but forget who made them, or where I’ve stored them – it really is a great way to organise electronically.

Now – to continue with the card – I shall be entering the following challenges:

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge holiday cheer

Creative Fingers Challenge anything goes

Lil Patch Of Crafty Friends anything goes

Shopping Our StashChristmas greenery

A Perfect Time To Craft – anything goes

Crafting Happiness Christmas

2 Sisters On The BlogChristmas and Holly

Winter Wonderlandanything goes Christmas

Cardinal Christmas Greetings

Hello. I have been playing in my craft room today, and wanted to use the Honey Bee Stamps ‘Winter Birds’ die set. I created this card:

I used three different red card – and black – for the cardinal, and set him aside whilst creating the card base and aperture,

I cut a panel slightly smaller than the A2 card base, die cut a circle, then dry embossed the snowflake pattern.

I then cut a gold circle slightly larger than the aperture, also due cut a piece of snowflake acetate and glued together…… and then realised I should have used tape instead of glue because it kinda went where I didn’t want it to – towards the centre of the circle.

Having to think more about how to cover it – or to die cut again – I decided to add more foliage around the circle than originally planned – but I think it works…..

The foliage, mistletoe and poinsettia are from various Spellbinders die sets, and some gold faceted gems added to the centre of the poinsettia.

The sentiment is also from Spellbinders – but not using the shadow layer.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Allsorts Challenge It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Simon Says Stamp Monday Challengeholiday cheer

Crafters Café use dies/punches

Color Throwdown red, black, green, gold

Fab’N’Funky Challenge dies cuts or embossing – no stamped image

The Sisterhood Of Crafters Christmas/Winter

Peace On Earth Challengeanything goes Christmas

Winter Wonderland Challenge anything goes Christmas

Gold and Green Christmas

Hello. After playing in my craft room I created this card. So very different to my recent posts – but the kind of many layers card I used to create back in the day. I had forgotten how much card stock this takes – and I must admit I ‘gutted’ a few of the layers. The dies used are from Sue Wilson – stitched squares, holly octagon – and are many years old:

I created a white card base to be slightly over the size of the first layer – and two layers of green, two layers of a brushed gold were matted – with one gold layer dry embossed – also a Sue Wilson embossing folder. The two smaller gold and green layers were die cut from the two larger layers – no waste, and you can’t see that I did that – don’t tell anyone!

Aligning the snowflakes on the gold layer took a minute or two – straight lines all over the place on that background.

The holly berry octagon was die cut in the green, and the other additional holly layers either green or gold – depending on how it all fit together.

I decided not to add a sentiment, but I’ll certainly add something to the inside instead of the front.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty ChicksChristmas

C.R.A.F.T. Challenge anything goes

Crafty Hazelnuts Christmas Challenge anything goes Christmas

Daring Cardmakers Holly

Crafty Friends ChallengeChristmas

Ally’s Angelsanything goes

Merry Little Christmas Challengesanything goes Christmas

Believe In The Magic

Hello there. I have a card to share created using some new products, and some older card stock and gems, using traditional Christmas colours:

I’ve spent quite a bit of time in my craft room these past few days – I had a ‘little’ accident when cycling – hit some mud and boom – was suddenly on the floor! My goodness that hurt – but also thank goodness for my cycle helmet – I banged my head – it could have been worse. A grazed and bloody knee, a bruised elbow, and a lot of pain around right side of chest – maybe cracked rib – painkillers helping to some extent – but it means I can’t do very much else except craft – a rainbow behind the cloud!

Anyhoo – this card was also quite fiddly with all the elements, but as soon as I saw the Spellbinders Christmas collection, and what Yana Smakula in particular did with it – straight into me basket and delivered very quickly.

I mixed a few die sets to create this – lots of die cutting, lots of arranging, and re-arranging until I was happy with the result. Another bonus is my electronic die cutting machine, as even cranking the handle on a manual one hurt….

The post box was created using two different shades of red, with a gold handle. I used gold for the skates and gold gems in the middle of the poinsettias and added to the bottom left.

The flowers, holly, mistletoe and ferns using plain white with red accents – lots of die cutting and fiddly assembling – I really do seem to have my fiddly and fussy head on at the moment.

The card base had some black splatters for added interest.

The foiled sentiment is from a batch previously created and it didn’t foil absolutely perfectly – but it still shines and it is still readable.

I shall be entering the following challenges:

The Flower Challenge flowers and use a sentiment

Use Your Stuff die cuts

Crafty Friends Challengeuse more than one die

Most Magical Time Of The Year anything Christmas or Halloween

Sparkles ForumChristmas with Holly and/or Ivy

Christmas Crafts All year Round Christmas with winter sports/recreation (skating)

Fab ‘n’ Funkyseason’s greetings

Cherish The Season

The new challenge at The Holly and Ivy Christmas Challenge has begun. The theme is always ‘anything goes Christmas‘. Here is my card:

Onto a slimline card base I added a strip of embossed card layered with some gold.

The holly leaves from hero Arts were die cut from a previously created mixed media panel. This panel was ink smooshed in a dark green, then a stencil laid on top, some grit paste added, and once dry, I gently brushed some gold wax over the top.

Once these were adhered to the card base, I added some gold facetted gems, and the foiled sentiment.

I hope you can come and join us with your Christmas creations – remember- it’s anything goes Christmas. xx

I shall be entering the following challenges:

Krafty Chicks anything goes

CYHTP embossing folder – option leaves

Shopping Our Stashleaf/leaves

Mix It Up Challengeanything goes – option ink smooshing

We Love 2 Create anything goes mixed media

Most Magical Time Of The Year anything goes Christmas or Halloween